Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

A Stella Review: Calling Calling Calling Me by Natasha Washington

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Patrick Mahoney has one goal in mind: get out of his native Fresno and find freedom in the rainbow and glitter-painted streets of San Francisco. As a college freshman, he’s sure he’ll finally have the chance to be himself, away from the judgmental eyes of his conservative hometown.

Josh Dirda’s never wanted to be tied down before, preferring the emotional ease of the one night stand. But when Patrick moves into the apartment that Josh shares with three friends, Josh is pulled in by Patrick’s sly wit and quietly creative spirit. As Patrick’s self-appointed tour guide, Josh can be Patrick’s introduction to the city he loves. But after a drunken Halloween hook-up crosses lines, Patrick and Josh must reckon with their true feelings—and decide whether they can let go of the ghosts from their pasts that haunt them.

I adore discovering new authors, especially when they deliver lovely stories like Natasha did with Calling Calling Calling Me. It was a surprise how much Patrick and Josh relationship engaged me. Although lately I had little free time to devote to my reading and it took me a long time to finish the novel, I found myself sucked into the MCs’ lives. And one more reason why I was surprised by how much I liked it, I am not a great fan of new adult love, I prefer my men to be more mature and I tend to avoid characters under 25. That said when a blurb is interesting I can’t say no.

Maybe this is one of the rare times I actually loved both MCs, I don’t have a preference like always happens. Both Patrick and Josh were great, the author made an amazing job at defining them. I saw them with their friends, with their families, and I learnt how good they were. Their mums, Josh’s brother, so full of love and supportive. I liked all the interactions between them, I like the banters, the quarrels. These people made the story more complete and real, I truly felt them act like my own family does.

And then there was the love story. Sure, Patrick and Josh found each other attractive from the first time they met, but this is not the usual lust/love at first time. They took their time to know what they want, from their futures and from this relationship, new not just to Patrick but to the experienced Josh too, finally ready to fall in love and stop jumping in bed with everyone. I loved how everything in their lives was different, nonethless Patrick and Josh were so tuned in together. I followed them through the first months of their love, and it was beautiful.

At last, I want to add the book was really well done, well written and engaging, the reading flew easily and I will definetely keep my eyes open for more releases from this new author. I won’t miss them.

The cover caught my attention from the start, it’s clean and fitting and I like all that blue of the sky.

SALE LINKS  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 307 pages

Published September 4th 2018

ASIN B07FYNX84Z

Edition Language English

Release Blitz and Giveaway – His Heart Or Mine (The Individualists Series #1) by C S Joyce

 

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Length: 60,000 words approx.
 
Cover Design: German Creative Design
 
The Individualists Series
 
Book #2 – The Heart Dealer – Amazon US | Amazon UK (Out September 20)
 
Blurb
 

“There’s something about the way he’s looking at me now, determined. Like he might ruin me if given half the chance.”


Adam:
Success can mean a lot of things. To me it meant living a lie and getting away with it.
But pretending is exhausting. My sister’s wedding in Italy was exactly what I needed. A week on the Amalfi coast with sunshine, wine, and zero complications.
Too bad the universe saw an opportunity to ruin that plan. Because what could be more complicated than the arrival of an attractive man who sees right through my act? One that is determined to remind me that you can’t hide who you really are.
What if he tells people my secret? Or, worse still, what if I can’t control these feelings. Because right now I’m feeling all sorts of things – fear, anger, lust…
No, I need to keep this thing under control. I can’t give in.
But what if, just once, I didn’t fight it?


Jacob:
After a series of bad decisions, running away to Italy seemed like the perfect escape. A fresh start in a new country. Nothing, and no one would bring me back to Ireland.
When I meet Adam at my friend’s wedding, I’m captivated. There’s something about this rugged stranger that makes me forget that I keep messing up every part of my life.
I know it’s a bad idea and I know I’m playing with fire. But when anger turns to passion I know I can’t stay away.
He can pretend all he wants but that man belongs in my bed. He might only be here for one week, but I intend to make the most of it.
After all, I can’t ask him for more when I’m not sure I’ll stick around.
But what if, this time, I didn’t run?

 

Author Bio



Author C S Joyce is infatuated with love, romance and the complexities of relationships. In her novels she tries to capture that elusive spark of love and add a little magic of her own.


She writes contemporary MM romance with a dash of humor thrown in, because love and laughter go great together.


You can stay up-to-date with new releases by signing up to Carrie’s newsletter on her website: www.csjoyce.com


Or you can find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csjoycebooks/

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A MelanieM Review: Heart’s Desire (Boystown #11) by Marshall Thornton

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

It’s February 1985. Nick struggles to recover from a gunshot wound, while taking on the case of a woman with a mental illness, who may or may not have witnessed a murder. As he attempts to determine exactly what the woman saw and how much danger she may be in, he juggles the approaching DeCarlo trial, an ill Mrs. Harker, and the sexually precocious Terry. Valentine’s Day with boyfriend Joseph produces some big changes in their relationship.

Life is evolving, but there’s no guarantee it’s for the better.

I find it interesting how Marshall Thornton has written each book as almost as a mirror held up against the life (both inner reflections and daily outer living) of PI Nick Nowak.  In some books the stories flow along with his struggles, both emotional and physical, occasionally ending up with some light and hope for Nick and the readers.

But with Heart’s Desire (Boystown #11), the latest in this  incredible series, the struggle gets darker, heavier for many around him, including his mother in law  (sort of), his friend with HIV, even his building super.  Oh, and himself, still fighting to recover from being shot  It’s going very slowly.And Nick can’t understand why he’s physically not himself, including no sexual relations with his boyfriend.

Joseph would like Nick to reject jobs that need surveillance, the very things have have gotten him injured.  That’s not something that Nick thinks can he do, and while he’s thinking about his relationship and his health, a case comes his way in fhe form of his super’s sister who believes she’s seen a dead body and refuses to go back to her apartment.  Should be easy excerpt that the  sister has mental  illness and there’s no body.  A typical case for Nick because it’s convoluted, dark, and, connecting the dots for Nick manage to bring him up against people that impinge on other parts of his life.

There are so many obligations and emotional strings tugging at  Nick now.  Mrs. Harker has terminal cancer and facing that and her role in his life is rough for Nick, equally so for Terry, the young student who spends most of his time with her and how has a “mature” boyfriend, another factor Nick and his friends are having issues with.

Marshall Thornton threads all these incredibly complicated storylines through the novel and Nick’s life with such craft and such raw, gritty writing that the narrative and characters stick to your heart, making you think, making you hurt for them.  And in this series and because we know the era and history, we fear for them.  We know what they are dancing around…the elephant in the room.  The tests that some haven’t or won’t take.  AIDS.  It’s the dark shadow that looms over Nick, his lover, and all his friends and any future they might have.

Heart’s Desire (Boystown #11) by Marshall Thornton is a must read story in a must read series.  I’m not sure how many the author plans.  If he intends to finish the 80’s, because we are at 1985 now and he other series, Pinx Video,  starts in the 1990’s.  I want more and yet I fear what’s to come.

I can’t recommend this story and series more highly  enough!

Cover art: Marshall Thornton. Works for branding the series and  storyline.

Sales Link:  Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 210 pages
Published August 10th 2018
ASINB07DFMSRTN
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBoystown #11

An Ali Review: Shaker of Earth (SPECTR Series 2, #5) by Jordan L. Hawk

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Charleston is reeling beneath the onslaught of demons unleashed by the vampire spirit Drugoy and his human host Yuri. Alone and drained almost to the point of death, Gray and Caleb must make their way across a city gone mad in hopes of putting an end to Yuri and Dru. But the other drakul isn’t the only enemy they have to worry about.

After the death of a rogue agent at Gray’s teeth, John’s faith in his lovers has been badly shaken. But when SPECTR Chief Barillo orders the vampire destroyed by any means possible, John and his allies find themselves in a race to find Gray and Caleb before their fellow SPECTR agents.

Because their only hope of stopping Yuri and Dru is by working together. And if they fail to unite, the streets of Charleston will run red with blood.

This was another fast paced installment of the Spectr series.  This story picks up immediately after the last one ended.  Caleb and Gray are in a bad situation and they’re on their own trying to stop Yuri and Dru.  John is with his fellow agents and they’re working to control the violence and chaos spreading through the city.
 
The story was pretty much action from beginning to end.  A lot of things happen and this portion of the story comes to a close by the end of the book.  The majority of the story is Spectr related but John, Caleb and Gray find some time for themselves, some time to repair the damage to their relationship.  It’s only a small portion of the book but enough that things end with their relationship stable again.
 
A new chapter in their lives will be beginning in Spectr  3 and I’m really looking forward to it.  I think the way the author wrapped this up opens the door to many new adventures with these three.  A must read for fans of this series.
 
Cover:  I love these new covers for this series.  I think they are eye catching and will hopefully bring new fans to these books.  I’m really glad the author decided to re-do these.  
Sales Links:  Amazon
Book Details:
ebook
Expected publication: September 14th 2018 by Jordan L. Hawk
ISBN139781941230329
Series SPECTR Series 2, #5

A VVivacious Review: The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

Rating: 2 Stars out of 5

John Rookwood and Captain Cornelius Sheridan have been haunting the very Manor they died fighting over, two hundred and fifty years ago.

On their death anniversary, a couple turns up to disturb their eternal rest and fantastically turn up to be related to the very pair. It soon becomes clear to the ghostly duo that thecouple harbours many misconceptions and in an effort to ensure their happily ever after they play into the gamble of manifesting themselves.

But manifestation can take up a lot of energy, enough to wipe out a spirit from the spiritual plane and as the Captain seems in imminent danger of disappearing from all existence, John Rookwood is confronted by his feelings for his companion of the past two centuries.

I don’t know how people feel about two ghosts getting it on but that is definitely something that is a part of this story, so you might want to confront your views on the same.

The story has an interesting blurb but with some misguidance, it set up a very confusing introduction. It took a while for me to understand what was happening in the story and who all the characters were.

By the time everything was in place and you know what is going on there isn’t much left in the way of plot, just a very elaborate scene featuring ghosts getting it on.

I wasn’t wholly invested in any of the characters because it was hard to relate to them in any real way. The dialogue is very dated, the way our two main characters speak is awkward to the point that it was really funny and so very hard to take seriously. The dialogue might have been the most entertaining thing in this book but not in the way the authors intended.

It is an okay, quick fun read with some heretofore never seen elements that were a little weird in their depiction.

Cover Art by Cherith Vaughn. I really like the cover. This might be the only case of cover models actually resembling the characters they represent that made it one of the best cover. But, I must also commend the choice of background and text, especially the colour scheme and that hint of yellow is delectable.

Sales Links:  Pride Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 35 pages
Published September 11th 2018 by Pride Publishing
ISBN139781786516824
Edition LanguageEnglish

Blog Tour for That Feeling When by S. M. James (author interview, excerpt and giveaway)

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: That Feeling When

Author: S. M. James

Publisher: May Books

Cover Artist: Story Styling

Genre/s: YA, LGBT, contemporary romance

Length: 77,000 Words/343 pages

Release Date: September 16, 2018 (Available now in paperback)

Add on Goodreads

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue  Words is happy to host S. M. James today. Thank you for stopping by! Tell us a little about yourself and your writing goals.

Congratulations on your new release. Please tell us a little bit about it. What’s your favorite aspect or part of the story? Do you have a favorite character? Who/Why?

Yikes, yeah. It’s nerve-wracking stuff, especially as this book kicks off a 6-book series of stand alones PLUS their short stories. So we’ll see how that goes.

That Feeling When is a dual POV YA, which alternates chapters between Landon and Archie as they figure out who they are, and how far they’ll go for love. As for a favourite character, I don’t think there’s any way to pick. I finished writing this book and actually missed these guys, which is one of the totally weird and wonderful things about being a writer. And now I’ve finished writing To Be Honest, I feel the same way about those guys.

As for my favourite part, there’s a certain scene involving a camera, an audition, and a whole lot of trust, that really builds Archie and Landon’s relationship up to another level and was a lot of fun to write. It was great to see Archie finally let go of his insecurities.

  • What is your favorite underappreciated novel?

Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green. Holy moly that book was hilarious and I seriously rec it everywhere I go. I can’t remember a book actually making me laugh out loud before—the situations Noah kept getting himself into just got more and more ridiculous. And the sequel lived up to it, which is always a great surprise. I need to reread this one soon.

  • Does your research lead to bizarre internet searches? If so, tell us about some of your wackier searches, or ones that would make you nervous if your computer were ever confiscated by law enforcement.

Heh, umm. You could say that. There have been bombs, automatic weapons, and disposing of bodies, because what else do characters in a fantasy novel need to know? For one of my genre novels I had to look up how long it took for a dead body to decompose, and there was this post about ‘Coffin births’ and DON’T LOOK IT UP because gross! So gross! (And if you did look it up, sorry to scar you for life but you were warned.) As you can tell, I’m still not past it.

The most interesting thing I’ve researched for contemporary is anterograde amnesia. Some of the stories from people living with it were almost beyond comprehension. For my next novel, I’m continuing my research into Cystic Fibrosis and the impact it has on day to day life.

  • Who would play the main characters in a movie about your book?

Haha there’s a reason I don’t cast movies.

I feel like I should have a Pinterest board for this kind of question but it is appallingly hard to find Aboriginal actors. I did watch an interview with Mark Coles Smith once, who may not look exactly like Landon, but had the same kind of boyish charm.

For Archie, man, take your pick. Brenton Thwaites, Billy Unger, Nick Robertson. If they can manage surly and vulnerable, we’re good.

  • What is your favorite quote?

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry. But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

(Five guesses what this is from).

 

 

Blurb

Dance Academy reject, Archie Corrigan, resents the stereotype guy ballet dancers are gay. Because he isn’t. At all. Forced to reassess his life goal at Camp Crystal Cove, it’s by sheer dumb luck he meets Landon Summers, who turns everything Archie was sure of into chaos.

Poor boy turned teen heartthrob, Landon Summers, is the name on everyone’s lips. With his unexpected leap to fame, his agent advises him to keep his bi status on the down low. Not a problem! Until Landon meets Archie.

Their unexpected friendship leads to an inevitable kiss, but their moment is caught in high definition and used as fuel for blackmail. If the truth gets out, Landon’s career could be over, and Archie will be forced to acknowledge the one thing he’s fought to deny.

But how do you go back to your average life once you’ve experienced That Feeling When … you’re finally happy?

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited 

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Excerpt

Landon Summers is into guys. I think he likes you.

And while Meredith didn’t say anything about me, there was something way too

knowing in her look. Everyone else seems too into their own lives to be paying us any

attention, and even when we’re announced winners of the trivia, my celebration doesn’t

crack the surface chill that’s taken over me.

Meredith’s wrapped her arm through mine, and she’s cheering with the others, one hand

in the air.

I’m a week in the past. Watching Landon pull on that stupid costume in the dark. The

spark in his eyes as he thanked me. The brush of his skin on mine.

How was that only a week ago?

Why can’t I go back and enjoy that moment more? Savor my time with him?

Really take it all in, before he went and messed it all up.

About the Author

SM James in an Australian author who writes books for teens about squishy sweet characters. While not writing, SM is a readaholic and netflix addict who regularly lives on a sustainable diet of chocolate and coffee. Member of SCBWI. Unapologetically dishing out HEAs for LGBT+ characters.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website

Facebook

Instagram

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win one of the following prizes:

1 x Paperback copy of That Feeling When (US only)

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3 x eBook copy of That Feeling When (international)

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A MelanieM Review: In This Iron Ground (Natural Magic #1) by Marina Vivancos

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

Damien is nine years old when his parents die. What should have been the worst moment of his life begins a journey shadowed by loneliness and pain. The night of a full moon, four years and seven foster homes later, Damien flees to the forest, desperate to escape everything.

Instead, he finds the Salgado pack, and the earth beneath his feet shifts. Damien has seen the Salgado children in his school: Koko, who is in his class, and Hakan, two years older and infinitely unreachable. Damien is suddenly introduced into a world that had only ever existed in his imagination, where there is magic in the forest and the moon. He meets creatures that look like monsters, but Damien knows that monsters have the same face as anybody else.

Over the years, Damien and Hakan grow closer. First, just as friends and foster brothers in the Salgado house, and then into something heated and breathless when Damien joins Hakan at college. Despite what he may yearn for in the darkest part of the night, Damien knows, deep down in that bruised and mealy part of his core, that he’s not good enough to be part of the Salgado family, their pack. He’s not worthy of calling Hakan his home.

Even though he knows in the end it’ll hurt him, he’ll hold onto this for as long as he can.

In This Iron Ground (Natural Magic #1) by Marina Vivancos is as hard a book to review as it was at times to read. It’s also a magical, beautifully written, moving, and literary novel.  Full of unbelievable torture and pain and yet still manages to include flights of hope and passages of teenage normality and then flights of wooded spirituality.  And all the time it’s flowing out from the  wounded soul and form of Damien who ages throughout the story starting from the age of nine when he enters the foster system an orphan.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from that blurb but what I got was an  almost epic exploration of Damien’s journey through life. We jump into Damien’s life with a harrowing look at the  foster system.  Then we and Damien plunge into hell when he is delivered into the  horror of a  foster home and  its carers that will set a pattern for him for the next years that will have you wanting to scream. It’s here, listening to Damien’s “voice” as he suffers, withdraws, and internalizes the messages he’s hearing that the book becomes almost unbearable to read. The abuse he’s suffering during these chapters are the ones that warrants the notes at the bottom of this review.  The damage done, not physically, but mentally and emotionally to Damien is such that he carries it with him through the story, not dealing with how much it has truly affected him until 3/4 of the way through.

But while he’s enduring this, mind you he’s only 13, there’s also hope in the form of a pack of shifters unlike any I’ve read about in other stories.  Vivancos brings in a pack that  is layered with a Earth  religion, a spirituality you can feel amazingly, a pack family that comes forward to rescue, support, and finally welcome the human child.  I won’t spoil how incredible a job the author has done with the Soldado pack but for me they became as alive as a walk in the woods.  They  breathed life and that made their connections to Damien even more magical.

The book is broken up into two parts and yes at times is felt a little long as Damien and Hakan went off to college but this is still such a journey for Damien I can see why the author wanted to include each and every scene.Special details were giving to Damien’s emotional and mental health recovery which is an important element here.  Damien could not recover from the horrific abuse he suffered on his own.  He needed professional help, and with the gentle assistance of his friends, lover and pack, he gets the therapy he needs. Some of his session scenes make a powerful but quiet impact.  It’s a responsible thing to do, in my mind, after reading all the scenes in the beginning, for the reader to see Damien finally emerging into hope and light.

Yes, I loved this story and the amazing characters in the pack.  I see that the author is turning it into a series and can’t wait to see where it’s going next.  I do recommend it but please do pay attention to the warnings below.

 

Cover art: Natasha Snow.  That is a gorgeous cover by Natasha Snow.  The mountains, woods, and wolves.  Perfect.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 325 pages
Published September 3rd 2018
ASINB07GNS5MZ4
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Natural Magic #1

CONTENT WARNING: This book contains themes of emotional and (nonsexual) physical child abuse and the subsequent emotional, cognitive, and behavioural impacts.   Trigger warning also includes scene of suicide attempt by minor, physical and  sexual child abuse.

This story contains sexually explicit scenes between consenting adults and is meant for an adult audience.

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: One-Eyed Royals (Seven of Spades #4) by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

OMG! Get ready for an exciting roller coaster ride, right from the beginning!  Every page held drama. Every. Single. Page. I am so excited by this series—it’s incredible.  I want everyone to read it so I can chat with them about all the emotional twists and turns, ups and downs, and the heartwarming and gut-wrenching action that takes place between these pages.  It’s incredible that the author can continually best the previous book in the series and hold my attention for the length of the book.  I never, repeat NEVER, sit still to read an entire book, but here, except for a few hours of sleep, I did not put this one down.

Where to start?  Well, if you read the previous books you know the strain Dominic and Levi are under—not just from the Seven of Spades who continues to F up their lives, but also with each other. Have no fear though—just because they aren’t together, they manage to find their way to bed a few times and survive the morning-after guilt. 

There’s two concurrent plots going in this one: a kidnapping/extortion ring who murder one of their victims and the Seven of Spades exacting revenge, on behalf of Levi, on the four men who beat him senseless in a gay-bashing when he was in college. They were never IDed, never caught, but Seven finds them and offers them to Levi one by one as a birthday gift.  Oh, joy. 

Those kidnappers, meanwhile, are continuing to kidnap and when payment isn’t made quickly, they gouge out the eye of their victim and send it to the family. The author isn’t satisfied with getting Levi’s and Dominic’s paths to cross multiple times during this investigation, she adds to the drama by having someone close to them kidnapped.  Not saying who, ’cause spoilers…  And then, of course, Dom’s losing his possessions left and right to pay his outstanding gambling debts and to have seed money for more.  Levi’s losing too. He’s losing his temper, losing his appetite, and ultimately losing his job.  There’s so much packed into these pages that’s it’s impossible to even highlight all of it. It just doesn’t stop. Not for a minute. Skip a page and you’ve missed another plot twist.  I love this story, did I mention that?  Love it! 

Don’t despair, however. If you love these guys, hang in for the ending. It’s a pip and thankfully not as much of a cliffhanger as the last one. But, let’s face it, with one more book to go, there’s no way I’d miss a chance to read it, no matter how this one ended. 

Honestly, if you are looking for high quality action adventure, a mystery that spans a five book series—who is the Seven of Spades?—romance, hot sex, addiction and recovery, anger management, murder, mayhem and more, this is the book—and series—to pick up.

The cover by Garrett Leigh, like others in the series, features playing cards, in this case, the cards are set against a dark background and blood is dripping from them onto the floor. 

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 366 pages
Published September 10th 2018 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626496392
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series Seven of Spades :

Kill Game

Trick Roller

Cash Plays

One-Eyed Royals

A Chip and a Chair – coming soon the last book in the series.

A Lucy Review: Promises by Ruby Moone

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Charles Hawkins is a former soldier who was saved from death in Napoleon’s war by his friend, Edward.  Now Edward has come begging a favor.  He needs Charles to host his youngest brother, Sebastian, for a month at his remote country estate and try to convince Sebastian not to get their father to purchase a commission to allow him to go to war as well.  Edward survived the war but two of their brothers did not.  Edward is afraid that Sebastian is going into it as “….nothing more than another jaunt.”  He believes his brother to be “… young, foolish and seemingly incapable.”  This is a big favor to ask because Charles wants, no, needs, his solitude.  But how do you say no to the man who saved your life? 

Sebastian’s arrival at Charles’ home is less than exceptional.  In fact, he arrives so drunk he falls out of the carriage, face plants, tells Charles he is pretty and then sleeps for hours.  It is not an auspicious start to the month.  Upon sobering up, however, Sebastian is a different person.  He is quiet, kind and polite.  Charles doesn’t regale him with horror stories of war.  Instead, he questions why Sebastian expects his family to pay for things.  “Hardly a babe in arms.  Why do you feel your family should provide everything for you?” 

Sebastian has a secret, however, and it is one that has made him feel inferior and useless in every way.  He doesn’t feel there is anything he can be good at.  He wants the respect of his brother and father, to make them proud, and he feels fighting is the only way to do that. 

Sebastian needs to move.  He “…just wanted to get out into the sunshine, take off his coat, and do something physical before he burst.”  This is another thing that makes his family look askance at him.  Why can’t he just be like the others?  Add in that all his brothers resemble each other – dark haired and short – while he is fair and tall and it makes him feel more alienated.  I have to say that I loved Sebastian.  He tries so hard, suffers so much and is such a good person. He’s trying to be the best he can for his family in any way he knows how.   

The estate has only Charles and his two manservants, Coulson and Blackstone. They are loyal to Charles and as Sebastian begins to work around the estate, they become friends with him.  Charles is much more reserved than any of the others, but he has some truly terrible memories of the war and the guilt and pain weigh on him greatly.  That being said, he is also a kind, intelligent man who listens to Sebastian and tries to help him.

The story is relationship focused, not just on sex or love, but on learning to trust.  There is a point where Charles doesn’t react well to a confidence Sebastian shares.  He doesn’t yell or carry on, he just doesn’t understand the import of it until later and when he does, he makes a point to do what is right by Sebastian.  Loved that.  Historical M/M romances are sometimes so dependent on suspending belief for the relationship, as being hung is a real threat, but the way this worked out made me believe it could work.  I loved the last line and felt it was so fitting to the feel of the story.

This is a lovely story and I would recommend it particularly for fans of historical romance. 

The cover art by Written Ink Designs is a Sebastian against the books and desk of Charles.  I thought it was fitting to the mood of the story.

Sales Links:  JMS Books LLC  |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 136 pages
Published August 25th 2018 by JMS Books
ISBN139781634867252
Edition Language English